Assessment of Priority Pollutant Concentrations in the United States Using Storet Database

Abstract

The examination of the 80,000,000 STORET data points for priority pollutant concentrations yielded principles for system usage to determine the individual occurrence of these pollutants in U.S. waterways. A case study on a representative priority pollutant (butyl benzyl phthalate) is presented in detail to highlight the characteristics of the database. The use of data from the 1980s only is recommended, based on the number of data points and the likelihood that better quality assurance practices were employed. Mean values should not be used because aberrant values dominate the additive mean and can exceed statistical probability ( p << 0.01). Since geometric mean calculations are not readily available within the system, the use of median values based on ambient or effluent sampling points and excluding landfill sampling sites is recommended. Careful documentation of nondetectable values is also necessary to reduce errors associated with statistical analysis. Eighty-six of the 110 (78%) organic priority pollutants are not detectable in US. waterways.Of the 24 chemicals detected, only 5 exceed an ambient median water concentration of 0.3 pg/L. Ninety-five of the 110 (86%) are not detectable in industrial effluents; the maximum median value of 10 pg/L was reported for four organic priority pollutants. Seventy-nine percent of the organic priority pollutants are not detected in sediments; all but seven medians are less than 15 ,dkg. Eightyseven percent are not detected in biota; all but three medians are less than 0.25 mg/kg.

Naphthalene?an environmental and occupational toxicant

“…Naphthalene concentrations in a wide variety of non-fish food items are reported to range from the detection limits up to 63 lg/kg (Chuang et al 1999;Johnston et al 1994;Kipopoulou et al 1999;Snyder et al 1996;Thomson et al 1996). With regard to fish and shellfish food items, concentrations were reported in a range of less than 1 lg/kg up to 176 lg/kg (Al-Yakoob et al 1993;Bender and Huggett 1989;Miles and Roster 1999;Saeed et al 1995;Staples et al 1985). In summary, an average daily naphthalene intake of 0.041 to 0.237 lg/kg per day and 0.204 to 0.940 lg/kg per day was calculated by the US EPA (2002) for adults and children, respectively ( Table 2).…”

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

“…Reports over the past several decades have documented the occurrence of PAH in surface water samples taken from geographically disparate areas, including four cities in the eastern United States (Huntington, West Virginia; Buffalo, New York; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-with a PAH concentration of 600 ng per L in Pittsburgh) (44); 11 locations along the Mississippi River, with the highest concentration of phenanthrene at 34 ng per L measured near New Orleans (45); and the St. Lawrence River and tributaries, where Pham et al detected phenanthrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, fluoranthene, and pyrene (46). As might be expected, much higher concentrations of PAH have been found in industrial effluents, such as refinery wastewaters (47,48).…”

Environmental Dynamics and Engineered Systems for the Degradation of Trichloroethylene: A Critical Review

“…High levels (10 to 100 000 µg l -1 ) have also been reported following a spill in the contaminated sediment of St. Clair River, Canada (CEPA, 1993). In the sediment at 6% of the 388 US observation stations, TCE has been detected at a median level of 5 µg per kg of dry sediment weight (Staples et al, 1985;ATSDR, 1995). It has been estimated that a typical daily intakes inhalation by the general U.S. population is 13 μg day -1 .…”